Transfer device for knitting-machines.



E. C. SCHWAB.

TRANSFER DEVICE FOR KNITTINGMACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1915.

1 2194 889., Patented Feb.18,1919.

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TRANSFER DEVlCE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILE D JUNE 24, i915.

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Application filed June 524-, 1915.

tubes or in varying the width of aflniittedv strip to terminate some of the lines of stitches or loops by transferring said stitches or loops to adjacent needles and continuing the knitting with a gradually lessening diameter or width until the desired reduction is obtained. This operation which heretofore has been done with manually actuated transfer needles and required considerable time and dexterity on the part of the operator, has been found to be impractical commercially on account of the skill, time and expense involved.

It is one of the objects of thepresent invention to overcome the before mentioned objectionable features and provide a transfer device for knitting machines which will be automatically operated mechanically at the same speed as and in conjunction with the knitting machine. I

A further object of the invention is toprovide a transfer device for knitting machines in which linesof stitches and tie the terminating end of stitch to the next adjacent stitch line.

A further object of the invention is to provide a transferdevice for knitting machines which is of simple construction and which may be easily mounted upon an ordinary knitting machine.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a transfer a-ted automatically by suitable mechanism,

Specification of Letters Fatent.

- the improved transfer device for device for knitting machines Wl11(lll WhIlG' primarily adapted to be actus permit the loops of Patented Feb. 18,1919. Serial No. 35,988.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved transfer device for lmittingmachines and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Figure l is a transverse sectional view of knitting machines taken on line 1 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken on the same line with the parts in a difi erent position;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof taken on line 3-4 of Fig. 1, a portion of the knitted fabric being shown;

Fig. a is a similar view thereof taken on the same line with the parts in a. diflerent position and showing the manner of trans-' ferring the terminating loop of a .stitch line to one of the loops of an adjacentstitch line;

ig. 5 is a sectional line 5-5 of-Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6+6 of Fig. 1; n

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of the transfer device and one of the knitting needles; and

ig. 8 is a side detail view of a spring beard needle.

Referringto the drawings the numeral 8 indicates a portion of a knitting machine bed of ordinary form and which is provided with transverse needle grooves 9 to receive knitting needles 10 reciprocally mounted therein. The needles are held in place by a gib bar 11 and are formed with upstanding .ben't heel portions 12 which project out of the grooves and above the bed. These bent heel portions are engaged by the cam lock (not shown) of the machine to reciprocate the needles in an ordinary manner well known to the art.

The needles illustrated are of the kind commonly termed latch-needles, being provided with hook-likeportions 13 on their forward endsand with hinged guard latches 14 which close the open side of the hook when swung forwardly. These latches serve to yarn on the shanks to slide off the'hooked ends of the needles, thus engaging the loops with new loops which have, been previously formed in the hooked portions of the ner. The transfer device is also adapted for needles in theordinary man detail view taken on i 16 and a for hardly 17 positioned on .a he guide portion. A

I sversely rec member 18 slidably mounts betw arms 16 is provided with a ioiurardv e ecting p rtion la inating its rd end in an L- guide portion n slioably supported nde plate 1?. This reciprocal memh engages an arm 22 extending rear- Dne-ha f portion ward from said member.

.= 1-11 of the cam is concentric with the axis the cam so that during one-half revolution of the cam the member 18 remains in its forward position.

The depending part of the portion carries a slidable transfer guard member 23 which extends downwardly and is provided with an, eyed angular bent portion 2% through the elongated eye 25 of which the transfer needle 26 passes. The transfer needle 26 consists of a length of wire having a hook-like lower end portion 27 with a downwardly extending point or end 2 The lower part of the hook is grooved as indicated by the numeral 29, Fig. to receive the upper edge portions of the knitting needles l0 engaged by the transfer needle and the point 28 enters the small groove 28 formed in the knitting needles to permit the yarn to pass over said point to the hookportion. The shank portion of the transferneedle is formed with a coil 2 to provide for the y'elding engagement of the lower end of the needle with the knittin needles and the u er end of the 7 e3 l shank extends into a needle opening pro vided in the guard and is held in position by a bolt 30 and reciprocates with the guard forwardly and rearwardly. The guard and the transfer needle are also reciprocated vertically by means of levers 31 and 32 which are medially, piv'otally mounted on portions of the reciprocal member 18, and ,controlled by a cam 33 which engages the lever 82. In order to reciprocate the parts vertically while they are moving forwardly and rearwardly, the lever 32 is of the telescoping type and its rearpart at which is engaged by the cam is slidably connected to a fixed arm 35 pro gecting rearwardly' from the framel'Y. This arm 35 is provided with a slot 86 into which a bolt 3'!" extends thus holding the lever part 34 in engagement with the cam 33 during the.

reciprocatory movements of the member 18. The forward end of the lever 82 has a pin is moved back and forth by a cam 21 tions i2 the knitting needles so needles thus engaged will be reciprocated back and forth by said member during the knitting operation. The entrance or mouth l0 of the groove 39 is of flaring form to guide the needle heels into the groove 39. he reciprocal member 18 is divided into three parts of which the movement of the upper part 41 is controlled by the cam 21 and the two lower parts i2 and a3 are moved by a cam i l which engages an arm a2 pro jecting rearwardly-from the lower member 14-2. Each lower part 2 and as has pivt ally connected thereto and extending forwardly therefrom link members i5 and which are pivotally connected at their forward ends to the opposite ends of a. lever l? fulcrumed on the forward portion 15 of the slidable frame 15. The construction and arrangements of parts, provides for the lower part l3 being pushed rearwardly when the part 4:2 is pushed forwardly by the cam it so that theknitting needles engaged by said part as will be moved to a position to be deflected out of working position by the beveled edge 43 of the part as.

The forward edge portion of the knitting machine bed 8 is provided withupwardly projecting shoulders or bits 8 which form the feed line of the yarn and hold the knitted fabric 28 in position. 1 The loop of the material to be transferred is indicated by the numeral a9 and the loop of thematerial over which it is to be passed is indicated by the numeral 50.

The retrieving springs for the respective parts are indicated by thenumerals 51, 52 and 53. I

The cams of course travel with the frame 15 so that the parts engaged by said cams remain in engagement therewith.

in operation the knitting needles are reciprocated back and forth in the usual inanner to form the fabric 'and when it is desired to narrow the fabric by dropping lines of stitches the transfer needle which is normally above and free from contact with the knitting needles is moved to the needle, the loop of which is to be transferred and the transfer needle is moved downwardly into engagement with the shank of the needle with the lower side portions of the transfer needle extending on opposite sides of the shank of the knitting needle engaged, when the knitting needle is in its rearward position and its guard latch being in open posiion. The loop l9 of the yarn which is the hooked end of the transfer needle on a also to be above ane forward movement of both transfer and knitting needles, and the knitting needle is then reciprocated rearwardly out of loop 49.

The slidable transfer frame isnow movedlaterally over the knitting needles the distance of one needle so that the loop 419 of the material is swung over at an angle into register with and in front of the next adjacent knitting needle and as this needle is in turn reciprocated forwardly it will pass through the transferred loop. While the knitting needle is in this position the transfer needle is moved downwardly by the cam 33 and the retrieving spring 51 into engagement with the knitting needle and the transferred loop 1 9 slips out of the hooked end of said transfer needle into the hook portion of the knitting needle as the said knitting needle and the transfer needle are moved rearwardly. 'The transfer needle is then raised away from'the needles and the frame 15 is moved to 0 end of the needle bed, out of action until such time as another narrowing of the goods is desired. On the next normal knitting operation, the new yarn which is received by the knitting needle will be drawn through the two loops now in the hook of the needle and they will be 'firmly attached. The modified form shown .in Fig. 8 indicates the use of the transfer device with a spring beard needle.

While this application describes in a general way a means for operating the transfer device, it is to be understood that other means may be employed for accomplishing the same result without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is understood that this application relates more particularly to the transfer device itself rather than to the means for operating it. Also whilethe action is described with reference to a single knitting needle, in practice the loops from four or more needles are transferred the distance of one needle simultaneously.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A transfer device for a knitting machine having a plurality of knitting needles, comprising a transfer" needle extending above and at an angle to the knittingneedles and operable to engage one of the needles and having a hooked end portion which takes the terminating yarn loop therefrom and transfers it to the next adjacent needle and then moves away from this last mentinned needle.

A transfer device for a. knitting machine having a plurality of knitting needles, comprising a transfer at an angle to the knitting needles and operable to engage one of the needles and having a hooked end portion which takes the yarn loop therefrom, said transfer needle also being successively operable to engage one of the knitting needles until the of both transfer hook needle extending yarn loop is passed therefrom to the said transfer needle, then raised while the knitting needle passes out of the loop, then moved laterally until it is opposite the next adjacent needle, then movable into engagement with said second needle and in a position to transfer the loop to said second needle, and finally movable away from said needle after the needle has been transferred.

3. A transfer device for a knitting inachine having a plurality of knitting needles, comprising a transfer needle extending above and at an angle to the knitting needles and having a hook portion on one end, and means for imparting to the said transfer need e a cycle of movements in which the said needle engages the shank of one of the knitting needles and takes the yarn loop from said needs when the needle is moved forwardly, then being moved laterally to the next adjacent needle while said next needle is in its rearward position positions the yarn loop so that as the second needle is moved forwardly it'will pass through and receive said loop on a rearward movement and knitting needle. device for a knitting machine, consisting of a shank portion formed with a loop and having a hook provided with a down-turned point, the oute 1 peripheral edge portion of the hook only being provided with a needle groove.

5. A transfer device for a knitting machine, consisting of a shank portion having a curved part formed adjacent to one of its ends, a portion of the curved part being provided with a needle groove extending only along its curved length.

6. A transfer device for a knitting machine, consisting of a shank portion formed with a loop and having a curved portion provided with a down-curved point, the outer peripheral edge portion of the hook being only provided with a needle sp e.

'4; A transfer device for a knitting machine, having a plurality of knitting needles, comprising a transfer needle member eX- tending above and at an angle to the knit ting needles and having a grooved hooked portion operable to engage one of the knitting needles and take the terminating yarn loop therefrom on a forward movement of said knit-ting needle and transfer it to the next adjacent knitting needle on a return or rearward movement ofsaid adjacent knitting needle. I f

8. A-transfer device for a chine, having a plurality of knitting needles, comprising a transfer needle extending t. A transfer above and at an an 'le to the knittin needles knitting mait. w

9. A. transfer device for a knittin mil-5 chine, having a plurality of knitting needles, comprising a transfer needle member extending above and at an angle to the kn1tand means for holdlng ting needles and having a grooved hooked portion operable to receive a yarn loop from and While in intimate engagement with onev of said knitting needles on its forward movement, to carry said yarn loop laterally in front of the next adjacent knitting needle and to deposit said yarn loop into the hook of said next adjacent needle on its rearward movement.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

EDWARD C SGHWAB. 

